COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio Casino Control Commission on Wednesday said that it has officially licensed 634 more workers for the Cleveland casino and is no longer concerned about completing the process before the gambling facility is scheduled to open on May 14.

"I think the licensing of employees is now going fine," said commission chair Jo Ann Davidson at the conclusion of the group's meeting on Wednesday. "That was one of our biggest worries at the beginning."

Just two weeks ago the commission's staff admitted being concerned about completing background checks to issue the required licenses for hundreds of employees working gaming tables and handling money. But the commission's decision to hire more people and move to a six-day work week has paid off, Davidson said.

The Horseshoe Casino Cleveland will host a ceremony on Thursday to mark the first employee to officially be given her casino license, making her officially ready to begin work.

Also on Thursday, the commission said it will plan a controlled simulation for the Cleveland casino within a week of its opening. During the simulation, the casino will fully operate as if it is officially open with invited guests using real money with real chances for winning. The idea is for the commission to see the casino in full operation to ensure that everything is ready to go for the official opening.

The casino will pay the state the 33 percent tax on revenues it earns during the controlled opening. The rest of revenue, minus payouts to winners, will be donated to charity.

Davidson said the casino will need to submit a list of names of people who will be invited to the controlled opening and stipulate which charities will benefit from the revenue.

The same process is slated for the Toledo casino which is scheduled to open the week of May 28.

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